Adding value to sponsors and partners through sublimation

A lot of clubs and businesses are ignoring the opportunity to include their partners/sponsors logos on uniforms and apparel. With modern sublimation printing you can get photo like quality of as many logos as you can fit on a garment for no extra cost. No longer do you need to be conscious of extra logos blowing the budget. Sublimation is where the garment is printed all over before it is cut and sewn together. Given there is one print for the garment, the same time (albeit a little more design/setup) is spent printing and assembling the garment no matter how many logos are included in this design.

This technology has been adopted quite regularly for playing uniforms and training singlets but it is the custom polo shirt where we believe the biggest opportunity lies. Traditionally clubs and businesses alike would have 1 logo embroidered on the chest. Yes – embroidery does have a somewhat sophisticated look and feel but it doesn’t allow for small details or shading and can be very costly especially for large/detailed logos.

The core logo still needs to be front and centre on the breast, but it doesn’t mean you can’t build partners logos around this. Not only are the arms or back of a garment a potential billboard for sponsors you could also include your community ties - is there a charity you support, or a body you are a part of that you would be proud to display? This builds a real sense of community around your brand. Sublimation also allows for personalisation (names for staff members and/or numbers for sports clubs) which adds even more value to the end wearer.

In summary sublimation can provide the following quick wins:

Wins for clubs:

Ability to attract more sponsorship dollars

Customisation

Spread a message of community involvement

Add a level of professionalism to your merchandise

Wins for businesses:

Added exposure through a walking, talking billboard

Brand validation by including highly regarded partners

Clearness of logos compared to embroidery

Staff accountability (if you’re wearing the brand you should be on the best behaviour)